Evangelism Book Recommendations for 2021

Jim Donohue and I thought it would be good to start the year with some evangelism book recommendations.  I’d encourage every pastor to read at least one book on evangelism each year as a way to keep your mind and soul refreshed and challenged in this important area.

Mickey’s List (in no particular order):

1.  Evangelism (Mack Stiles). I love the simplicity of his approach and his emphasis on creating a culture of evangelism, which I think should be our goal as local churches.  

2. How to Give Away Your Faith (Paul Little). This is the first book I ever read on evangelism, so you might imagine it’s a bit dated.  And in fact, it is - 1978.  So while there are some things that might need to be translated into 2021, there are many things that are timeless.

3. The Gospel and Personal Evangelism (Mark Dever). Mark’s personal and practical approach is excellent.  He asks and answers questions like: “Why don’t we evangelize?” “Why should we evangelize?”  as well as chapters on practical issues like who? and how?

4. Evangelism and The Sovereignty of God (J.I. Packer). No book has given me more liberty of soul to witness than this one.  Understanding my role and the Holy Spirit’s role in evangelism lifts an unnecessary burden and implants faith like nothing else I know.

5. Salvation to the Ends of the Earth (Kostenberger and O’Brien). While not strictly an evangelism book, it is my favorite book on the church’s mission and thus gives the broader context for our evangelistic efforts right where we live.

Jim’s list (in no particular order):

1. Learning Evangelism from Jesus (Jeram Barrs). This book walks through the Gospels, showing the towering love that Jesus has for those who are lost and far from God. It is both inspirational and instructive and probably my favorite book on evangelism.

2. Loving your Community (Stephen Viars). I just read this book.  It was very inspiring in regards to reaching out to your community in meaningful and strategic ways. With the changing landscape in evangelism, this book will give you a lot of ideas for making a difference wherever you are.

3. Honest Evangelism (Rico Tice). An excellent book that provides biblical motivation for evangelism and great practical ideas on how to obey God in this. Rico (who wrote Christianity Explored) challenges us in a compelling way that encourages us to be ourselves and take the risks required to reach the lost.  

4. Evangelism in a Skeptical World (Sam Chan). Chan lays out how to approach different people with individualized ways to share the gospel. His grasp of our culture and the world we are reaching out to is excellent, and he translates this knowledge into effective ways to reach non-Christians.

5. The Rise of the Nones (James Emery White). There are other books on reaching the current culture (The Millennials by Rainer and Meet Generation Z by White), but this is my top choice because of how he shows specific strategies for reaching an increasingly secular West.

Jim Donahue is the Pastor of Evangelism at Covenant Fellowship Church, Glenn Mills, PA.